The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii has released an incredible image that unveils the Sun‘s surface, capturing massive sunspots and intense magnetic disturbances. This photograph, the first taken with the Visible Tunable Filter (VTF) from the US National Science Foundation, reveals sunspots that are as large as continents, spaced only 10 kilometers apart, yet spanning vast distances across the Sun’s surface.

This imagery comes as the Sun enters the solar maximum, its most energetic phase in a 11-year cycle, when the magnetic poles reverse. As a result, the number of sunspots increases significantly, creating areas of intense energy. These cooler patches on the Sun can trigger dramatic solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which, when they reach Earth, can interfere with satellites, power grids, and communication networks.

Experts stress the importance of studying these events to understand their potential impact on our technology and daily lives. Historical records like the Carrington Event from the 1800s, which caused fires in telegraph stations, highlight the severe consequences of such solar storms. While sunspots appear darker due to their cooler temperatures, they remain far hotter than anything on Earth.

Scientists liken these sunspots to “magnetic plugs,” blocking the Sun’s heat from reaching the surface, but still generating immense heat of their own.